United
by Eitriarch
Summary: Shadow has survived, but will he ever get to see Maria again? PLEASE R&R!!!! PLEASE!!!
1. Rouge

It was raining as I was sitting on a bench next to an old run-down shop of some kind. My black fur was getting wet, but I didn't care-nobody cared. So, there I sat, watching people with umbrellas, running out of stores and in to others. Nothing much was happening until an orange echidna ran up to a bat and tried to steal her black leather purse. I took a closer look and I saw it was Rouge the bat.  
  
"Hey!" I yelled, going up to the echidna and pushing him away "You stay away from her!" I guess the guy got scared because he quickly left us alone.  
  
"Shadow, thank you," Rouge said to me "I probably could have scared him off, but you just saved me time. One more thing, Shadow, how can you still be alive? I mean, Sonic told us you were dead, so we all assumed you were."  
  
"At the very last moment, I was still in my super form, so I used the Chaos Control to warp myself back to Earth." I answered.  
  
She stared at me with amazement "Wow, that's some quick thinking." She said and started walking "So, have you found any place to stay yet?"  
  
"No, ever since that day Sonic and I saved the world from the space colony, I've just been hanging around different parts of the city, just trying to find anyplace to stay."  
  
"Really? Well, if you want, you can stay at my apartment with my roommate, Ruby and me. You know, until you find a place." She offered.  
  
"All right, " I said following her. It started to rain harder, so we began to run. Her apartment wasn't very far because we were there in only a few minutes. When we arrived and walked inside, I noticed the apartment was very small, or maybe it was all the boxes that made it look crowded. I saw a black female fox sitting at a table, inspecting some jewelry. I was guessing she was Rouge's roommate.  
  
"Ruby," Rouge said and the fox turned around "I would like you to meet my friend, Shadow."  
  
" Hello, Shadow." She said. " I was just looking at some jewels that Rouge and I collected on our last treasure hunt."  
  
I turned to Rouge. "Treasure hunting? I thought you gave that up."  
  
"I did for a while, but then I realized it was the only job I actually enjoyed doing." Rouge said. I was about to say something when the phone rang. Rouge answered it and then put her hand on the speaker.  
  
"Shadow, it's Sonic. Should I tell him you here?" she asked.  
  
"Go ahead, I don't care." I said. Really I didn't care. I didn't think Sonic would either. I heard Rouge say my name a few more times and then hung up.  
  
"Sonic is going to be here soon." Rouge told me. "Aren't you excited to see him again?"  
  
"Thrilled," I said sarcastically, turning around and then sitting on the couch, waiting for Sonic. 


	2. Sonic's Visit

It was only a few minutes later and there was a knock on the door. I already knew it was Sonic. Rouge opened the door and Sonic came in.  
  
"Shadow!" Sonic shouted in excitement. "You're really still alive! I can't believe it!" He came over to me and put his hand up for a high-five, but I didn't return it. Sonic put his hand down. "Shadow? What's up with you, man? Something bothering you? We're friends right?"  
  
"I guess you could put it that way." I said.  
  
"So then what's on your mind? You're actin' kinda weird." Sonic said to me. "Is it because of Maria?" I turned my head quickly and gave him a stare. "Whoa, Shadow!" Sonic said, backing off "Didn't mean to upset you like that. You scared me there for a minute. Your eyes were burning like fire."  
  
"Sorry, Sonic," I apologized, "I just get like that sometimes when Maria is mentioned."  
  
"Oh, it's all right. So you're staying here with Rouge?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," I said, walking around and then over to Rouge. "Where's my room?"  
  
"Just go up the stairs and it's to the left. The first room after the bathroom. Why?"  
  
"I'm tired, I need some rest." I said and went to my room. It was a small room with a small bed. There was a desk in the right corner with a mirror on top of it and a tv in the other. I didn't want to come here to rest, I just wanted to get away from everything. I opened the window, it was still raining except not as hard. I jumped out and started running as fast as I could. I was sure where I was going, I just ran. I stopped when I tripped over something and cut open my knee. "Great," I said, trying to wipe the blood off but most of it came off from the rain. Finally I got up and turned around to see what I had tripped over. I was sure it was a rock at first but then I realized it was a chao. 


	3. Echo

I bent down to pick up the chao, and it snarled at me, so I drew my hand back. This time I tried to pet it and said, "I'm not going to hurt you." This chao looked different from any that I've ever seen. He was black with tiger ears, but his arms, feet, and tail were like a leopard's. On his arms were big purple bruises, like he had been abused, but I didn't know anything about him, so I could have been wrong. The chao stopped growling and let me pet him. "What's your name?" I asked.  
  
He had something in his hand and gave it to me. It was a little gold circle with 'Echo' carved into it. The ID tag looked as if it used to be connected to a collar or something.  
  
"Is your name Echo?" I asked him. He nodded 'yes'. "Are you lost? Do you want to find your owner?"  
  
Echo backed away from me. "I guess not." I said and picked him up. His fur was all wet and dirty, so I decided to take him home with me. I walked back home, instead of running because I didn't want to scare Echo.  
  
By the time I got home, he was asleep in my arms. He must have not had much sleep while he was out on his own. I had only been walking a few minutes and he was already knocked out.  
  
When I walked inside, Rouge and Sonic were talking to each other. They were too low to hear but they sounded serious. Rouge looked at me strangely, "I thought you needed rest, Shadow."  
  
"I decided I wasn't that tired." I answered. "I went for a short walk, but now I'm going to my room." I walked back upstairs with Echo. I don't think Rouge even saw him. I put a clean towel on my bed and laid him down on it.  
  
I guess he was more tired than I thought. It was almost three hours later before he woke up. "Are you ready for your bath, Echo?" I asked him. He looked up at me and made a weird happy sound, so I took it as a yes.  
  
I carried Echo into the bathroom and set him on the floor. The bathtub was too big for him; I filled the sink up and then placed him in it. As I was scrubbing him, I saw a scar from the tip of his left ear to the middle of the back of his head that I hadn't noticed before. "Where did you get that from?" I asked as I dried him off. When I was done, I wrapped him up in a towel and brought him back to my room. He fell asleep again, so I decided to lie down too. I was getting kind of tired.... 


	4. Maria?

"Shadow, won't it be nice when we can finally get back down to Earth?" Maria asked me.  
  
"I guess, as long as you're with me." I answered her back. All of the sudden, the room started flashing red. " Oh, no. The alarm system!"  
  
"SYSTEM ALERT! SYSTEM ALERT!" a mechanical voice said. "BREAK IN AT THE FRONT ENTRANCE! SYSTEM ALERT!"  
  
"Maria, we have to get out of here before.."  
  
"Stop right there!" some men with guns shouted at us. We didn't stop though, just kept on going. Finally, we reached the escape pod. I got in and waited for Maria. The men were still coming.  
  
"We told you to stop!" they yelled. The next thing I heard was the sound of bullets flying and a thud. They had shot Maria and she landed by the controls.  
  
"Shadow.give the people of Earth a chance.. to be happy." She told me and pushed the button to release the pod.  
  
"MARIA! NO!" I yelled, waking up from my dream. "Maria..." I said again quietly, looking around. I was still in Rouge's apartment. I glanced over at the clock and it read twelve o clock midnight. I got up out of bed and looked at myself in the mirror. I noticed I had been sweating.  
  
"Shadow. Shadow" a voice said and I turned around.  
  
"Who's there?" I called. The window was open. Maybe it had just been the wind. I walked over and closed it and then lay back down. As soon as I closed my eyelids, I heard the voice again.  
  
"Shadow... Shadow..." it sounded like a girl's voice. "Shadow.. it's me..."  
  
I sat up in bed and saw a blue, transparent body floating in front of me. I recognized it almost immediately. "Maria!"  
  
"Yes, Shadow, it's me. There is a way to bring me back.." She said and vanished  
  
"Wait, Maria! Don't leave yet!" I shouted.  
  
"The answer lies in Egypt." I heard faintly.  
  
"Egypt?" I said to myself. "That's were the Eggman's base used to be. I wonder if it has any connection." I decide I would start my journey tomorrow. 


End file.
